Manually controllable and adjustable speed controlling means for tractors



1942- E. M. M ELHINNEY ETAL MANUALLY CONTRQLLABLE AND ADJUSTABLE SPEED CONTROLLING MEANS FQR TRACTORS FilQd April 30, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3m$entors .E'Zhi-nney (Q Z A..Podhajsky,

Nov. 3, 1942. E. M. M ELHINNEY ETAL 2,301,133

MANUALLY CONTROLLABLE AND ADJUSTABLE SPEED CONTROLLING MEANS FOR TRACTORS Filed April 30, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 3, 1942. E. M. M ELHINNEY ETAL MANUALLY CONTROLLABLE AND ADJUSTABLE SPEED CONTROLLING MEANS FOR TRACTORS Filed April 30, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 3nnentors Eric M, M E'Zhiriney &

Jam as .A .Podhajeffi'y, 9 6

florneg Patented Nov. 3, 1942 2,301,133 ICE MANUALLY CONTROLLABLE AND ADJUST- ABLE SPEED CONTROLLING MEANS FOR TRACTORS Eric M. McElhinney, County, and James ship, Tama County,

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tractors, and an object of said improvements is to combine with a tractor, mechanisms in train therewith adapted for manual manipulation by a driver for special uses thereof.

An object of our improvements is to include in Geneseo Township, Tama A. Podhajsky, Perry Town- Iowa Application April 30, 1941, Serial No. 391,036

such mechanisms adjustably mounted chaindriven sprocket; gears of equal diameter, an'd removable as desired for the substitution of other sprocket gears, whereby the shafts of the gears may be rotated at the same speed, or with replacements by other gears permitting either gear to be either increased or diminished in size or in speed of rotation, as desired.

Another object of our invention is to provide for manual use by a driver, manually controllable devices in train, mechanically associated with said gears, and for variation of speed thereof.

Other improvements in details will be described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, our added mechanisms are shown as mounted on a tractor of a well-known type, but the tractor is not as such claimed herein.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my improvements as mounted on the tractor. Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation thereof, and Fig. 4 is a detail rear elevation of the chain driven sprocket gears.

The tractor shown in Fig. 1 also shows certain elements thereof by numbers, the train thereof with exponents or without, through the complete assemblage.

Our improvements are therefore represented by heavier lines than the lines appropriated to the main tractor apparatus. The tractor proper has the travelling wheels It in front carrying a body I, together with a rear pair of wheels of greater diameter at Ic, driven together with axle means Ib housed in sleeves It and in side bearings in a boxing 9. A housing part of the frame has a depending casing Iw with inturned lugs la: engaged with a rearwardly directed body Iz. On each side are spring arms Ie with eyed forward parts mounted on cross-pins Im and resting on arms If which support thereacross bar In with upturned ends hung on bolts Ik. As shown in Fig. 2, bolt-holes are alined along the bar Ih.

The under body Id terminates medially rearwardly to serve as a casing about a rearwardly directed sleeve Ig/ which is traversed by the rear end part of a shaft In, rotatable, and carrying removably upon its rear end a sprocket gear l5 about which is reeved the lower part of a chainbelt I4, and this belt has its upper end part reeved about a sprocket gear I3 which is ,removably secured on the rear end of a longitudinally directed rotary shaft II whose forward part traverses .manual control of the arm 24 the rear wall of a casing l0, and is terminated by a bevel-gear Ha thereon.

In Fig. 1 is shown the rear body part la of the tractor body secured'by screws to the casing 9, and having said casing I0 fixed thereon. A bipartite sleeve 9a, laterally directed, is endconnected to the casing I0 and seats therethrough the lateral shaft 6 which also traverses the casing I0 and this shaft carries within the casing a like bevel gear 6a in mesh with the other bevel gear Ila. Without the rear wall of said casing I0 a-roller I2 ,is supported, to ride along the member Ih between adjustable bolts therethrough, which bolts thus permit a traction hitch member lg to be adjustably shifted to and fro laterally on the member Ih, as desired in the positioning of the hitch to be used in hauling a following wheeled mechanism (not shown) in adjusting the hitch laterally.

Referring to said Fig. 1, the numeral 2 denotes a laterally disposed driving shaft operated by and controlled by the motor of thetractor, and carrying the usual fiy-wheel 3. The shaft 2 projects outwardly laterally to further seat thereon a flanged belt-wheel 4. The said lateral shaft 6 has a belt wheel 9 mounted thereon, and a normally loose belt Sis reeved about said wheels 3 and 8. The belt wheel 8 also has a circular end-clamping device I with bolts to secure it to the wheel, and the wheel is fixed on the shaft 6.

A driver's seat Ir is mounted on an angular arm Ip rearwardly directed and fixed on a post Is secured on the body part 9 of the tractor. A forwardly directed arm 24 is end-pivoted on said post by a bolt 25. Means are provided for the by the driver on the seat Ir.

On theforward end of the arm 24 is pivoted the forked head'ZIl adjustably secured upon the lower end of a link-rod I9, whose upwardly directed end part is bent laterally and inserted in a hole through the upper end part of a pentagonal plate I8 loosely. Another rod I'I likewise has an end part bent laterally and also seated loosely in another hole in the plate I8, the rod being positioned angularly rearwardly relative to the first arm I9, and the rod I'l carries at its rear end a forked head He adjustably on a terminal thread, the head I'Ic being adjustably stopped on the thread by a nut Ila. An arm I6, elongated upwardly, is pivoted medially by a pivot l6a, the upper part of the arm I6 being directed upwardly and slightly bent rearwardly, also diminished for use by a driver on the seat Ir. The lower end of the arm I6 is pivoted by a bolt between the parts of the forked head He, and angularly disposed relative to the medial rod I1. The arm I6 is pivoted on a bolt I6a to the lower sloping end part of the arm Ip.

A hearing block 22 is fixed on the inner face of the forward end of the rock-arm 24, and is apertured to seat rotatably a short stem 2I therethrough and carries on its inner end a peripherally channeled tread wheel 23 loosely embracing the lower reach of the belt 5 normally to leave the belt slack. In operation, the driver on the seat Ir, may shift the arm I6 forwardly, whereby the train of linkages above described to swin upwardly the arm 24, whereby the rimmed wheel 22 is caused to embrace the belt ,5 tensionally, the belt and the wheels 4 and 8 being placed in rotation, the angle-gears Baand I labeing rotated by the linked chain I4 carried by the sprocket gears I3 and I5, the latter rotating its shaft In, and the latter adapted to rotate in turn the assembly of gears in the rear compartment of the tractor casing and not shown herein, to communicate rotation to the tractor wheels Ic.

In Fig. 3, the sprocket gears I3 and I5 are of like shape and diameters. In Fig. 4, the upper sprocket gear I3 is of greater diameter than the lower sprocket gear I5a, hence the shaft In is driven at higher speed. The two wheels I3 and IE1: may be relatively inverted, to drive the gear I5a and its shaft at a higher rate of speed, and whereby, adjustments may be effected for three speeds of the shaft I5a as also the wheels Ic. The shaft In is driven by means of a train of coacting gears and a motor therefor within the housing, but not shown in the drawings. One feature of the applicant's invention is the provision of an additional gear ratio for driving the tractor, and another feature is the make and break combinations of elements from the shaft 2 to the hand lever I6, whereby the driver may slacken the belt 5 to let it idle without breaking the connections between the shaft In, and a driving shaft in the rear, of a fertilizer distributor or other trailing mechanism.

We claim:

1. In combination in a tractor, a lateral driveshaft having a belt:wheel thereon, a second beltwheel spaced rearwardly therefrom and having a shaft extending inwardly transversely with a bevel gear thereon, a longitudinal medial driveshaft mounted on the rear part of the tractor and having a bevel gear thereon in mesh with the first bevel gear, a sprocket gear mounted also on the medial drive-shaft and to the rear of the tractor body, a sprocket gear mounted on the rear end of a driven shaft supported rotatably on said body, a drive-chain reeved around said sprocket gears, a belt loosely reeved around said belt-wheels, a hand-lever medially pivoted on the tractor, a rock-arm end-mounted on the tractor, interlinking connections between the lower part of the hand-lever and the free end of the rockarm, anda roll mounted rotatably on the free end of the rock-arm and positioned to bear against the lower reach of said belt to tension it when the upper part of the hand-lever is rocked forwardly, releasably.

2. Speed adjusting means adapted to be mounted removably on a, tractor, comprising a lateral drive-shaft having a belt-wheel thereon, a second belt-wheel spaced rearwardly therefrom and having a shaft extending inwardly transversely with a bevel gear thereon, a, longitudinal medial drive-shaft mounted on the rear part of the tractor and having a bevel gear thereon in mesh with the first bevel-gear, a sprocket gear mounted also on the medial drive-shaft and to the rear of the tractor body, a sprocket gear mounted on the rear end of a driven shaft supported rotatably on said body, a drive-chain reeved around said sprocket gears, a belt loosely reeved around said belt-wheels, a hand-lever medially pivoted on the tractor, a. rock-arm endmounted on the tractor, interlinking connections between the lower part of the hand-lever and the free end of the rock-arm comprising a forwardly directed rod having its rear end piv oted to the lower end of the hand-lever, ano :r rod pivoted at its lower end to said rock-arm and projecting upwardly, a rock-plate having forwardly spaced bearing holes, the free ends of said rods being bent angularly and loosely traversing said bearing holes, and a roll mounted rotatably on the free end of the rock-arm and positioned to bear against the lower reach of said belt to tension it when the upper end of the hand-lever is rocked forwardly.

3. In combination in a tractor, a lateral driveshaft having a belt-wheel thereon, a second beltwheel spaced rearwardly therefrom and having a shaft extending inwardly transversely with a bevel-gear thereon, a belt reeved around said belt-wheels, a longitudinal medial drive-shaft mounted on the rear part of the tractor and having a. bevel-gear thereon in mesh with the first bevel-gear, a sprocket gear mounted also on the medial drive-shaft and to the rear of the tractor body, a sprocket gear mounted on the rear of a driven shaft supported on said body, a drivechain reeved around said sprocket gears, the sprocket gears being of different diameters, and interchangeable relative to each other, and manually controllable means including a roller adapted at times to tension a belt reeved around said belt-wheels.

4. A belt-wheel adapted to be rotatably mounted on a tractor, a second belt-wheel spaced rearwardly therefrom and having a shaft extending inwardly transversely with a bevel-gear thereon, a longitudinal medial drive-shaft mounted on the rear part of the tractor and having a bevel-gear thereon in mesh with the first bevel-gear, a beltwheel mounted on said medial drive-shaft, another belt-wheel mounted rotatably on the rear part of the tractor and beneath'the first beltwheel, said belt-wheels being of differing diameters and adapted to be reversely changed in relative position, for varying the speed thereof, a belt between the belt wheels, and a belt reeved around said wheels, a belt reeved around the first-mentioned belt-wheels, and linked devices mounted on the tractor for manual operation in loosening or tightening said latter belt.

5. A speed changing mechanism adapted to be mounted on a tractor, comprising in combination with a rotary shaft mounted on the tractor and carrying a belt-wheel thereon, a second beltwheel mounted also on the tractor, a belt reeved about said belt-wheels, the second belt-wheel having a shaft also mounted on the tractor, vertically spaced horizontal rotary shafts mounted on the tractor, driving connections between the upper shaft and the second belt-wheel, anothershaft rotatably mounted on the tractor, a spaced pair of sprocket-wheels mounted removably on said vertically spaced shafts, said pair f sprocket-wheels being of different diameters, -and a sprocket-chain reeved about said sprocketwheels, whereby the sprocket-wheels may be interchanged upon the vertically spaced shafts to vary the speed of rotation of the lower shaft.

ERIC M. McELHINNEY. JAMES A.. PODHAJSKY. 

